Thrillist, an online food and travel website, chose Cellar Peanut Pub at 629 Franklin St. in Pella — with its population of 10,225 — as representing "the absolute best small-town drinking experiences" in the state.

"It's humbling to see that Thrillist named us the best small-town bar in Iowa," said bar owner Marty Duffy. "In Pella, in small-town America, to be recognized like that is an amazing deal."

"Were it located in a big city in one of America's best beer towns, Pella's Cellar Peanut Pub would be a formidable presence elevating the beer scene," wrote Thrillist. "That's because the place — with an aesthetic that marries the rustic tin shed look with an ultra-modern tap system — takes its beer very, very seriously, to the point that each of the joint's pub tenders boasts a Cicerone certification. There's a steady stream of hard-to-find beers from Iowa's emergent brewery scene on tap (look for pours from Des Moines' Confluence and coveted wares like King Sue from Decorah's Toppling Goliath) and other Midwest destinations in addition to a best-of-the-best from across the country, all served up by beer lovers eager to convert even the most ardent lover of adjunct lagers into disciples of craft, with knitting, bingo, and live-music nights keeping things lively. It's the kind of beer bar you'd expect to come across in a city like Portland, smacked into a small Iowa town."

The Cellar Peanut Pub in Pella(Photo: Cellar Peanut Pub/Special to the Register)

The pub specializes in local and national craft beer, craft cider and kombucha with a rustic decor that includes signs from breweries and cideries from across the state and country.

"We try to team up with, and support, as many local or independent breweries as we can," said Duffy.

Around 62 beers and 10 ciders make the line of draft taps. "We like to keep our selection under a hundred because quality and keeping beer fresh is very important to us," the owner said.

The Cellar Peanut Pub has been influencing beer culture in Pella for more than three years. At any given time, the pub's beer inventory is available to see online at untapped.com. Duffy opened a new location in Newton at the former Maytag campus in October.

Duffy said many of his diverse customers come from throughout the state including Des Moines and Iowa City to enjoy a beer experience, and is humbled that the communities of Pella and Newton have embraced the bars.

"We want people to enjoy the decor, try any style of beer they would like and to ask questions," he said.

About 40 people make up the staff of both locations and several members of the Newton pub are school teachers who work at the bar part-time. Each pubtender has the opportunity to undergo Cicerone certification — a program for beer professionals.

But the team isn't the only one getting the education. To help educate its customers about its inventory, Cellar Peanut Pub hosts beer schools with national and local breweries and cideries every few weeks at both locations.

The Cellar Peanut Pub in Pella(Photo: Cellar Peanut Pub)

Beer classes can have upwards of 200 people in attendance. Duffy said each class is different and class and event schedules are posted on the bar's social media.

The bars also hosts bingo, trivia and board games, cribbage tournaments, chess leagues and indoor biking provided by Mojo Cycling of Newton. Food isn't served at either pub, but customers are encouraged to order takeout from area restaurants.

In addition to being recognized by Thrillist, at the 2013 and 2014 Food Network and New York Wine & Food Festival, Cellar Peanut Pub was the winner of the bloody mary contest for its made-from-scratch mix. It was voted 'second best in the nation' and 'best dressed' and tasted by Ted Allen and the cast of Food Network's show Chopped.

In 2014, the bar was listed in the Top 25 Beer Bars by Craftbeer.com, and in 2016 and 2018 it won Best Beer Bar In Iowa by Craftbeer.com.

Duffy, 40, got his start working in his father's pub at the age of 15 after his parents divorced. He moved to Tracy, Iowa to from Watchung, New Jersey to be with his father.

The Cellar Peanut Pub in Pella(Photo: Cellar Peanut Pub/Special to the Register)

His senior year of college at William Penn, Duffy played football and studied to be a physical education teacher and a coach. He started working at Cellar Peanut Pub located in the basement of an old morgue in Oskaloosa.

In 2002, at the age of 22, he quit college and bought the bar.

"I told my dad I was going to buy a bar and he told me I was crazy," Duffy said. "I've been doing it ever since. I knew I was going to be doing it for the rest of my life."

Before relocating the bar to Perry, Duffy operated the pub in Oskaloosa for 17 years. And that's where he met his wife, Betsy, a Muscatine native. The two married in 2007.

Betsy, 42, handles Peanut Pub's social media, but she is also opening a brewery of her own in Newton in spring 2019. Gezellig Brewing Company will be located at 403 W. 4th Street N., in Maytag Building 17 using equipment from the now-closed New American Brewing Co. in Ankeny. The word "gezellig" means "cozy" in Dutch.

While Betsy is gearing up for the launch of the brewery, Marty stays busy coaching for the Pella Youth Program and flag football for one of their three children.

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